Varaha Purana - Adhyaya 63
Varaha PuranaAdhyaya 6312 Shlokas

Adhyaya 63: Procedure for the Son-Obtaining Vow (Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī Observance)

Putraprāptivrata (Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī-vrata) vidhiḥ

Ritual-Manual (Vrata-vidhi)

Sa loob ng balangkas ng pagtuturo nina Varāha at Pṛthivī, si Agastya ang naglalahad ng maikling pamamaraan ng putraprāpti-vrata na nakasentro sa Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī sa madilim na kalahati ng Bhādrapada. Itinatakda ang saṅkalpa sa Ṣaṣṭhī, pagsamba sa Saptamī, at dalisay na pūjā sa bukang-liwayway at upavāsa sa Aṣṭamī; kasama ang homa na may yava at kṛṣṇa-tila, may ghṛta at dadhi, at pagkatapos ay pagpapakain sa mga brāhmaṇa na may dakṣiṇā. Ipinapayo ang pagkain matapos ang pag-aayuno na magsisimula sa bilva. Isinasalaysay ang halimbawa ni Haring Śūrasena na nag-tapas sa Himālaya upang patunayan ang bisa ng ritwal, na humahantong sa ugnayang angkan hanggang kay Vasudeva. Nagtatapos ang kabanata sa tagubilin ng pag-aalay ng dāna sa katapusan ng taon at pangakong pangkalahatang kapatawaran ng pāpa, na inilalarawan ang disiplinadong ritwal bilang dharmic na saligan ng pagpapatuloy ng sambahayan at kaayusang panlipunan na kaugnay sa kapakanan ni Pṛthivī.

Speakers

VarāhaPṛthivī

Key Concepts

putraprāpti-vrataKṛṣṇāṣṭamī (tithi-based observance)upavāsa and pūjā-vidhihoma with yava and kṛṣṇa-tilabrāhmaṇa-bhojana and dakṣiṇābilva as first post-fast foodvrata-phala (putra-prāpti, pāpa-kṣaya)exemplum of Śūrasena and Vasudeva
Recitation with translationVaraha Purana Adhyaya 63

Shlokas in Adhyaya 63

Verse 1

अगस्त्य उवाच । अथापरं महाराज पुत्रप्राप्तिव्रतं शुभम् । कथयामि समासेन तन्मे निगदतः शृणु ॥ ६३.१ ॥

Sinabi ni Agastya: “Ngayon pa, O dakilang hari, isasalaysay ko nang maikli ang mapalad na panata para sa pagkamit ng supling; makinig ka habang inilalahad ko ito.”

Verse 2

मासे भाद्रपदे या तु कृष्णपक्षे नरेश्वर । अष्टम्यामुपवासेन पुत्रप्राप्तिव्रतं हि तत् ॥ ६३.२ ॥

O panginoon ng mga tao, ang panatang isinasagawa sa buwang Bhādrapada, sa madilim na kalahati—sa pamamagitan ng pag-aayuno sa ikawalong araw ng buwan (Aṣṭamī)—ay tunay na panata para sa pagkamit ng anak na lalaki.

Verse 3

षष्ठ्यां चैव तु संकल्प्य सप्तम्यामर्चयेद् हरिम् । देवक्युत्सङ्गगं देवं मातृभिः परिवेष्टितम् ॥ ६३.३ ॥

Pagkatapos magtakda ng saṅkalpa sa ikaanim na araw, sa ikapito ay sambahin si Hari—ang Diyos na nakaupo sa kandungan ni Devakī, na napalilibutan ng mga Ina (mātṛs).

Verse 4

प्रभाते विमलेऽष्टम्यामर्चयेत् प्रयतो हरिम् । प्राग्विधानॆन गोविन्दमर्चयित्वा विधानतः ॥ ६३.४ ॥

Sa dalisay na bukang-liwayway, sa ika-walong araw ng buwan (Aṣṭamī), dapat sambahin ng taong may disiplina ang Hari; matapos sambahin si Govinda ayon sa naunang itinakdang pamamaraan, ipagpatuloy ang pagsunod sa wastong mga tuntunin ng ritwal.

Verse 5

ततो यवैः कृष्णतिलैः सघृतैर्होमयेद्दधि । ब्राह्मणान् भोजयेद् भक्त्या यथाशक्त्या सदक्षिणान् ॥ ६३.५ ॥

Pagkatapos, magsagawa ng homa na handog gamit ang yava (sebada) at kṛṣṇa-tila (itim na linga) na hinaluan ng ghṛta (dalisay na ghee), kasama ang dadhi (gatas na maasim/yogurt); at sa debosyon, pakainin ang mga brāhmaṇa at magbigay ng dakṣiṇā na nararapat ayon sa makakaya.

Verse 6

ततः स्वयं तु भुञ्जीत प्रथमं बिल्वमुत्तमम् । पश्चाद् यथेष्टं भुञ्जीत स्नेहैः सर्वरसैर्युतम् ॥ ६३.६ ॥

Pagkatapos, ang sarili ay dapat munang kumain ng pinakamainam na bunga ng bilva; saka lamang kumain ayon sa nais, na may kasamang mga pagkaing may mantika at taglay ang lahat ng lasa.

Verse 7

प्रतिमासमानेनैव विधिनोपोष्य मानवः । कृष्णाष्टमीमपुत्रोऽपि लभेत् पुत्रं न संशयः ॥ ६३.७ ॥

Ang taong nag-aayuno ayon sa itinakdang paraan, na may iisang pagtalima buwan-buwan—kahit walang anak—ay makakamit ang isang anak na lalaki sa pagtalima sa Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī; walang pag-aalinlangan (ayon sa teksto).

Verse 8

श्रूयते च पुरा राजा शूरसेनः प्रतापवान् । स ह्यपुत्रस्तपस्तेपे हिमवत्पर्वतोत्तमे ॥ ६३.८ ॥

Naririnig din sa salinlahi na noong unang panahon ay may isang haring magiting, si Śūrasena. Siya’y walang anak, kaya nagsagawa siya ng tapas (mahigpit na pag-aayuno at pagninilay) sa Himavat, ang pinakadakilang bundok.

Verse 9

तस्यैवं कुर्वतो देवो व्रतमेतज्जगाद ह । सोऽप्येतत्कृतवान् राजा पुत्रं चैवोपलभ्धवान् ॥ ६३.९ ॥

Habang ginagawa niya iyon, ipinahayag ng diyos ang pagtalima (vrata) na ito. Isinagawa rin ito ng hari, at nagkamit din siya ng isang anak na lalaki.

Verse 10

वासुदेवं महाभागमनेकक्रतুযाजिनम् । तं लब्ध्वा सोऽपि राजर्षिः परं निर्वाणमापतवान् ॥ ६३.१० ॥

Nang matagpuan niya si Vāsudeva, ang lubhang mapalad at nagsasagawa ng maraming paghahandog, ang rishi na hari ay, sa pag-abot sa Kanya, nakarating sa sukdulang nirvāṇa.

Verse 11

एवं कृष्णाष्टमी राजन् मया ते परिकीर्तिता । संवत्सरान्ते दातव्यं कृष्णयुग्मं द्विजातये ॥ ६३.११ ॥

Kaya nito, O hari, inilarawan ko sa iyo ang pagtalima ng Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī. Sa pagtatapos ng taon, dapat maghandog ng isang pares na iniuugnay kay Kṛṣṇa sa isang dvija (dalawang ulit na isinilang).

Verse 12

एतत् पुत्रव्रतं नाम मया ते परिकीर्तितम् । एतत् कृत्वा नरः पापैः सर्वैर् एव प्रमुच्यते ॥ ६३.१२ ॥

Ito ang pagtalima na tinatawag na ‘putra-vrata’ na ipinaliwanag ko sa iyo. Ang sinumang magsagawa nito ay mapapalaya mula sa lahat ng kasalanan.

Inside Adhyaya 63

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Within the Varāha–Pṛthivī teaching frame, the observance is introduced through Agastya’s authoritative voice as a concise, repeatable vrata-vidhi aimed at putra-prāpti and household stability, anchored to Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī in Bhādrapada kṛṣṇapakṣa.

  2. Central event

    Stepwise vrata procedure is laid out across Ṣaṣṭhī (saṅkalpa and readiness), Saptamī (preparatory worship), and Aṣṭamī (purified dawn-pūjā with strict upavāsa), culminating in homa offerings using yava and kṛṣṇa-tila with ghṛta and dadhi, followed by brāhmaṇa-bhojana with dakṣiṇā and a regulated fast-breaking beginning with bilva.

  3. Climax resolution

    A legitimizing exemplum narrates King Śūrasena’s heirless distress and tapas in Himavat; the rite’s efficacy is confirmed through the resulting lineage-fruition culminating in the celebrated connection to Vasudeva, presenting the vrata as a proven dharmic ‘technology’ for progeny and continuity.

  4. Closing phalashruti

    The chapter closes by prescribing a concluding dāna at the end of a year of observance and asserts broad pāpa-kṣaya (sin-remission) alongside the primary fruit of putra-prāpti, framing disciplined ritual, charity, and restraint as socially stabilizing dharma.

Geographical context

Himavat (Himālaya) is explicitly mentioned as the site of Śūrasena’s tapas; the narrative implies a royal North Indian milieu via the name Śūrasena (a historically attested region/lineage association), though no city or river is directly named in these verses.

Tirtha focus

  • Associated RegionHimavat (Himalaya); implied Śūrasena-region milieu (North India)
  • Pilgrimage MeritNo discrete tīrtha-māhātmya is foregrounded; merit is framed primarily as vrata-phala (putra-prāpti and pāpa-kṣaya), with Himavat functioning as an ascetic validation landscape rather than a pilgrimage itinerary.

Ritual instructions

  • Primary RitualPutraprāpti-vrata centered on Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī (Bhādrapada kṛṣṇapakṣa), repeated monthly with a year-end concluding gift
  • BenefitPrimary: putra-prāpti (obtaining a son/offspring, i.e., lineage continuity). Secondary: pāpa-kṣaya (general remission of sins) through disciplined fasting, worship, homa, and charitable redistribution.

The narrative frame

  • Agastya (within the broader Varāha–Pṛthivī instructional frame)Pṛthivī (as the principal recipient in the Varāha–Pṛthivī discourse frame) · Didactic and procedural (vrata-manual style), reinforced by exemplary narrative authority

The emotional journey

  • Dominant RasaŚānta (devotional discipline and composure) with a strong undercurrent of Karuṇa (heirless anxiety) resolving into Harṣa (fulfilled hope)
  • Emotional ProgressionAnxiety over continuity → resolve through saṅkalpa and restraint → intensified devotion via dawn-pūjā, upavāsa, and homa → communal reciprocity through feeding and gifts → reassurance through exemplum and promised fruits.

Planning a pilgrimage

  • Visit FeasibilityModerate: the chapter is vrata-centric rather than site-centric; a modern practitioner can observe the rite at home or in a local Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa temple. If one wishes to echo the exemplum’s ascetic geography, Himalayan pilgrimage is optional and symbolic rather than required by the text.
  • Best SeasonBhādrapada (Aug–Sep) for the core observance; for Himalayan travel, post-monsoon (Sep–Nov) is generally safer and clearer.
  • Modern Location NameHimalayan region (broadly; no single fixed site specified).
  • Related FestivalKṛṣṇāṣṭamī / Janmāṣṭamī season (observance aligned by tithi, though this chapter emphasizes the vrata-vidhi and progeny-oriented intent).

Frequently Asked Questions

The text frames disciplined vrata-practice—fasting, regulated worship, offering, and charitable feeding—as a dharmic technology for household continuity (putra-prāpti) and moral purification (pāpa-kṣaya). In a broader social-ethical sense, it promotes ordered reciprocity (dāna, brāhmaṇa-bhojana) and self-restraint (upavāsa) as stabilizing norms that indirectly support communal well-being and, by extension, Pṛthivī’s sustainable social ecology.

The rite is assigned to Bhādrapada māsa, kṛṣṇapakṣa, specifically Aṣṭamī with upavāsa. Preparations include saṅkalpa on Ṣaṣṭhī, worship on Saptamī, and a dawn (prabhāte) worship on Aṣṭamī. The procedure is to be repeated monthly (pratimāsam), with a concluding gift (dāna) prescribed at the end of a year (saṃvatsara-ante).

Environmental stewardship is not explicit as a doctrinal topic in these verses; however, the vrata’s emphasis on regulated consumption (upavāsa), careful ritual use of agricultural substances (yava, tila, ghṛta, dadhi), and redistribution through feeding and gifting can be read as a Purāṇic model of restraint and circulation of resources—an indirect ethic compatible with Pṛthivī-centered balance in the wider Varāha–Pṛthivī discourse framework.

The chapter references the sage Agastya as the immediate instructor within the narrative layer, King Śūrasena as an exemplum of an heirless ruler performing tapas, and Vasudeva as the resulting celebrated figure connected to the rite’s success. The mention of Himavat situates Śūrasena’s austerities in a recognized North Indian sacred geography.

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